WELCOME!

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10607, 4 June 1920, Page 6

WELCOME!

A FAMOUS SOLDIER RECEPTION TO GENERAL BIRDWOOD. ENTHUSIASTIC GATHERING AT TOWN HALL. SOME STIRRING SPEECHES. Wellington's distinguished military visitor. General Sir William Birdwood, teas last night accorded a highly enthusiastic reception at the Town Hall, when representative speakers paid tributes to tho splendid leadership, general popularity, genial disposition, and other splendid qualities of the great, commander that so endeared him in the hearts of the men who. fought under him al Gallipoli. Tho Mayor (Mr J. P. Luke) presided: and there were also present upon the stage Lady Birdwood and Miss Birdwood, and members of the General’s Staff; the Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. W. F. Massey), Hull. Sir ~ "William Eraser, Hon. D. H. Guthrie, Brigadier-Gen-eral G. S. Richardson, and representatives of various public bpdies and organisations. The hall was 'well-fill-ed in all parts, and the proceedings throughout were marked by keen enthusiasm. . Prior to the arrival of the. (General and his party, selections were rendered on the Town Hall • organ by the city organist, Mr Bernard Page., , A REAL FRIEND.

In introducing the visitor, the Mayor said he was proud on behalf of the citizens 'of II ellingtou and of the Eeoplo of the Dominion to extend a earty welcome to their distinguished visitor. General Bird wood .had. commenced his military work many years go, and had never since looked back. One of" the-greatest tributes to the capacity of the General was the , fact that he had been associated with Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener in the great work “he was engaged upon >itithe waff Full justice could never-bo done to the good work he had earned out in connection with the Australians and Zealanders on Gallipoli. All the time during the great struggle upon the,Peninsula the full confidence of the .boys of the New, Zealand Expeditionary Force and of the people of Australia and New Zealand w,as centred in General Birdwood and the work he was carrying out. To him had been assigned the task of making preparations necessary for the evacuation of Gallipoli. The British people hate the very word evacuation, ’ but the Peninsula had to be abandoned because ft was common-sense to do so. And because that evacuation waA brought about without loss of life, the people of New Zealand must pay a great, solemn and truthful meed of latitude to their distinguished friend. The people held the memory of every officer who had gone out and died for his country in the highest, veneration because of the great sap* rifice he had made. He trusted the returned soldiers present would feel that in the presence of General Brrbwood they not only had a comrade-in-arms but a real friend amongst them again. - A GREAT LEADER.

The Pgupe Minister (Hon. TV. F. Massey) welcomed the Beneral on behalf of the citizens of the Dominion. He hoped the people would give him a New Zealand welcome, such as he deserved. General Birdwood was a leader of the forces right throughout the war, and led his troops through the greatest hardships that had ever been faced. The troops had also established a record that was quite as proud as some of those of the Imperial divisions. It was fitting that they should express their appreciation of those soldiers, especially the 29th Division. (Applause.) The memory of the ©vents of the past five years would keep the Empire together for centuries to come. A deep debt of gratitude was due to General Birdwood for his great w'ork in the war, and especially, for what he did on the Peninsula, from the landing to the- evacuation. He was proud to think that Gallipoli would never go back to the "Lnspeak* able Turk; from now on it would, be-; long to Britain. If war again occurred the deeds done on Gallipoli would be an incentive to those who participated on Britain’s behalf. Mr - Massey concluded hy again extending to “General Birdwood, Lady BirdwocJ, Miss Birdwood, and all the other Birdwoods” a hearty welcome to the Britain of the south. ( BirdiC. ) Mr W Ferry (chairman of the executive of the Wellington Returned Soldiers’ Association, extended a welcome on behalf of the returned men. The fact that, their friends the ‘A«s*des’ ’ wont mad over Birdie was an indication of the esteem in which ho was held. He would long remember how the General walked . round the. trenches on the Peninsula in his shirt sleeves, with a pull-through round his waist as a belt, and a glittering staff consisting of one digger armed with a rifle; also how the diggers advised him to “keep his blinking head down.” Ho" hoped the General would have as triumphant a reception in New Zealand as he had had during Ins tour of Australia. If he got that welcome be was sure it would be second only in enthusiasm and warmth to that accorded to that prince of gentlemen, the Prince of Wales. THE SOUL OF THE N.Z.E.F.

Dr E. Boxer, president of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, expressed the pleasure of the New Zealand returned soldiers at seeing the General amongst them again. He had never known any other general who had so held the hearts of his men as General Birdwood. He had endeared himself in the hearts of his men 'by making them feel that he was simply one of themselves. General Birdwood was generally referred to as “The Soul of Anzac,” but he would prefer to name him something greater than that—“ The Soul of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. ’ Wherever the men wore found telling stories about their chief they always referred to him as “Birdie;” that was a token of their affection for him, and if the general went down in New Zealand’s history as “Birdie,” ho should take it as a term of affection rather than an expression of undue respect At tho conclusion of Ins remark’s Dr. Boxer shook hands with tliG general (< on behalf of a hundred thousand man.”

THE GENERAL IN REPLY

HIGH PRAISE FOR NEW ZEALANDERS. ' A STIRRING-SPEECH. General Birdwood rose to address tho gathering amidst prolonged cheers and to the singing of “.For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow.’' Man would need to be more than mortal, ho said, to express all ho felt that, night at the welcome ho had been accorded. Ho had always wanted to come to New Zealand, as he had always understood it to be the counterpart of Great Britain. If the .climate wqs cold, it was more than made, up for by the warmness of the hearts hq .had found. Seeing in front, of him so many of his old comrades,, he almost expected to hear someone ask: “When are we going over the top again?” Ho would always remember . those’ good friends ’of his army, acquaintance. Proceeding, General Biidwbod,waxed humorous in describing amusing incidents of army life, and recalling memories of France and the line.

“You can hardly realise,” continued the General, “how glad' I am to see these boys again; "I ant glad to see them not only' as a commander, but as a comrade and a friend. 1 believe to the last day of my life I shall see the Auzacs qut in front, of , me., I shall see the same brave-hearted diggers determined to see things through to tho end whatever fate might hang over them. I know how proud you are of your men, and if you are proud for no other reason it will bo for what they did on the Peninsula. On April 23th, liilo, -I believe New Zealand obtained for the first time her manhood. Knowing them as I do as good soldiers, 1 know they axe now going to prove themselves really, good citizens.” In encouraging them in the life ahead of them, he would advise them to stick to their R.S.A., keep it non-political, keep it non-sectarian, make it a home, and retain in it the great traditions they had built up in Gallipoli and France. Those traditions were going to be more valuable as time went on, and he hoped the generations to come would carry them on. They were most .valuable and worth, sticking to. Though the returned soldiers’ badge was a small thing, it stood for a good deal. He would advise that every returned man wearing a badge when passing another in the street should at least pass the time of day to him. Let their badges be a sign of freemasonry among them. Personally, he hated to pass a man who! wore the badge without saying “Good-day” to him. They should try to take an interest in public affairs, do what they could to encourage education, work hard, and not allow their minds to lie fallow all day. Tho moral of tho troops in the field, continued General Birdwood, was maintained by the moral at home. Ho had often been asked: “Who won the

war ? ” A voice: Bill Massey. (Laughter.) General Birdwood: lam sure he took his full share. (Renewed -applause.) It was his opinion that the war was won by the bravery of the soldiers, the might of the British Navy, and the fortitude Of the people of the nation._ A voice: lYhat about the Yanksr (Laughter.) We should never forget that it was Alinighty Providence that had seen the nation through the war. Almighty Providence had brought the army through the very darkest events. Continuing, the General, paid a tribute to the work done during the war by the women of the nation, not only in the nursing services and other branchesin which women had actively served the army, but by their assistance in keeping the men provided for. Ho also referred to the part of the women of France and Belgium, There svere no words that could be of real comfort "to tlios© who had lost their best and bravest in the greaWar ) who now lay in their graves in Gallipoli or France.. In this connection he wished to make a contradiction in regard to a statement ‘ that had been cabled out to the’' effect’{hafi {he Turks had been desecrating the graves on the Peninsula. He understood the graves had not been desecrated, but that in making certain alterations, bodies had had to be removed. He did not believe that one man who died at Gallipoli had died in vain. . The Gallipoli campaign was not a failure. The flower of tfte Turkish army was destroyed, for the Turks had'sent,their best troops to the Peninsula. The work done at Gallipoli laid the foundation for Lord Allenby's later victories in Palestine. Ho did not wish, however, to belittle the work done by the mounted troops in that theatre, for their performance was a magnificent one. ■ ’ The proceedings closed- with hearty cheers for General and Lady Birdwood, called for by the Prime Minister. Tho assembly then joined in tho singing of the National Anthem. The General took an opportunity before ho left the hall of meeting returned soldiers and renewing army acquaintances.